Georgian Church prepares for 1700th anniversary of the nation’s Baptism

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. Photo: Georgian Orthodox Church

Festivities and preparations have begun in Georgia for the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of Christianity being proclaimed the state religion. The jubilee will take place in 2026 – marking 1700 years since the Kingdom of Kartli officially embraced the Christian faith.

The celebrations opened in the country’s ancient capital, Mtskheta, with one of the most revered feasts of the Georgian Orthodox Church – Mtskhetoba–Svetitskhovloba, commemorating the finding of the Lord’s Robe and honoring the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. This day is a national holiday, reports MIR 24 TV Channel.

This year, the feast of Svetitskhovloba carried special significance in light of preparations for the 1700th anniversary of Christianity’s adoption as the state religion, which Georgia will celebrate in 2026.

The Divine Liturgy at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral – the country’s main Christian shrine, where, according to tradition, the Lord’s Robe and the Life-Giving Pillar are kept – was presided over by Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri), concelebrated by clergy.

President of Georgia Mikheil Kavelashvili emphasized the spiritual importance of the feast and the role of faith in the nation’s history: “Our faith and traditions have helped the Georgian people endure a difficult historical path. Christianity has always been a unifying force, illuminating our way through every challenging period. Centuries later, Georgia remains faithful to Orthodoxy and proud of its identity.”

A special church–state commission has been established to organize the jubilee program, which will include divine services, processions, and a range of cultural and educational initiatives aimed at reminding the people of Georgia’s spiritual roots and its millennia-long fidelity to Orthodoxy.

As the UOJ previously reported, on March 25, 2025, the Georgian Orthodox Church marked the anniversary of the restoration of its autocephaly in 1917.

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